There’s nothing like a vivid Kodachrome photo to bring yesteryear Hollywood to life. In this circa 1960s shot, we’re looking east along Hollywood Blvd. Around the center of the photo, we can see the blade sign for the Vogue Theatre at 6629 Hollywood Blvd, which means the photographer would have been standing near the Cherokee Ave corner. The most ‘60s thing in this photo is the “HI-FI RECORDS” neon sign. The Hollywood Walk of Fame first started in February 1960 and so if the stars in the sidewalk have made it to the block between Cherokee and Whitley, I’m guessing this photo was probably taken circa mid 1960s.
Bill C. says: “It’s an August 1963 photo taken by Paul Penna.”
This is roughly how that view looked in December 2020. The stores aren’t as interesting, but at least there are more trees.
The current photo is emblematic of much of L.A. today–
boarded up and lifeless. I lived on Cherokee and Whitley north of the Blvd
in the ’90s. Saw gangbangers brandishing firearms on Yucca a couple times,
got a LITTLE smart and moved to N. Hollywood, then MUCH smarter and moved to Silver Lake then Burbank in ’97
Yes, a lot of GSV photos are lifeless because they often take them at trafficless times of day. I travel through there about once a week and it’s not lifeless then. What I find disturbing is the vanishing movie theatres. There used to be so many. Of course, there used to be so many bookstores and record stores, too.
And coffee shop type restaurants.
I used to shop at that Phil Harris Records store!
There’s an Aldo’s Restaurant next door? The only Aldo’s I’ve been aware of was next to the Warner Bros. (Pacific) Theatre. Maybe they relocated, or had two? Coffee Dan’s had two locations on the boulevard. You can get cocktails at Hal’s Nest. There’s a sign for the Outpost Bldg. and that long reddish brown awning might say Big Hoot…?
Actually, the 2020 photo looks fairly grim as compared to the 1960s shot. My friend runs a business near Cherokee, know the area well, still a good place for tourists. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was a NEW thing at the time. Unfortunately, today many folks don’t know who some of those old
stars were! Yes, Hi Fi Records (High Fidelity). Everybody then was into buying Hi Fi records and stereos. The record business was booming, especially with the introduction of LP’s long playing HI Fi records. And they didn’t come cheap! But, they also did not break. They could bend, though. Note the awnings (another trend) on many of the shops, definitely old Hollywood. Thanks Martin for the memories, and from an old DJ.
Also, the HI Fi sign shows the owner as Phil Harris, who had a hit with The Thing in 1950 (“…Get out of here with that boom-boom-boom and don’t come back no more…”).
Wow, Phil Harris! He did a little bit of everything: bandleader, singer, actor, comedian. I recall him on “The Jack Benny Show” on the radio. He always called Benny ‘Jackson’. He portrayed himself as kind of a Southern hipster persona, despite the fact that he was born in Indiana. Also had a show with Alice Faye when they were married. I seem to remember him a lot with Bing Crosby. I’d totally forgotten about his big hit with “The Thing”. That brings back memories! Toward the end of his career he started doing voice-overs for Disney, most famously Baloo the Bear and had another big hit with “The Bare Necessities”. He was one-of-a-kind.
Ah! THAT is how I knew his name – Baloo!
Phil Harris was married to Alice Faye. I once asked a clerk in the store if it was indeed named after this person and the clerk did not know.
I loved the 60’s in Hollywood. Cleaner, safer, and had its charm.
I loved the streetlights back then. One of a kind and really says Hollywood with the 3 lamps with starts on top. Christmas decorations were at their peak on Hollywood Blvd with rotating green plastic trees that were internally illuminated on every streetlight pole.
Hi Martin. As a movie buff, I’m a big fan of Phil Harris. Married 54 years to Alice Faye. They had one of the longest Hollywood marriages. She passed about two years after his death in 1995. He probably did own the music store because music was his life. He headlined Las Vegas in the 70s!
He also was into “jive” talking, calling everyone Jackson and the like. Rappers today may owe a salute to Phil Harris! He was outrageously funny.
Kind of in the style of Leo Gorcey and the Bowery Boys. Again, love that 60s photo at Cherokee in Hollywood.
6631 had been the location of Murray “Ray” Avery’s Rare Records store from the early ‘50’s until it moved to Broadway in Glendale. Originally started by the Pan Pacific, it moved to La Cienega before the shift to this block. Mr. Avery’s (1920-2002) vast collection of shellacs is largely with UCLA now.